Vehicles for Sale Nearby

2000 Dodge Ram - II

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Unfortunately, railcar shortages are not uncommon. The time frame is based on several factors: - when railcars will free up- railroad schedules- the holidays

Depending on where your Ram was built, once it's on a railcar, it can take anywhere from a week to 4 weeks to get from factory to dealer. My Ram took 3 1/2 weeks to get from Lago Alberto, just outside Mexico City, to my dealer in Ramsey, NJ.

If your Ram is just waiting for a ride home, then yoiu're ahead of the game - hang in there!

Kcram,I see the factory is holding all 2500 rams, know why? I got my 2500 and it came with mirrors that belong on a boat, hugh silver things bolted on, The dealer say's I have to pay to have them replaced, I say they should give me what I ordered, so far it's a mexican standoff.Any one else get a new truck with the boat mirrors?And if so did the mirrors get replaced? Thanks.

I know this is definitely off the topic, but after reading and posting messages here for the past year or so, there seems to be quite a few knowledgable people out there when it comes to engines. I don't want to spend weeks dicussing this (and thus take away from the designated topic), but maybe someone can "shine a little light" on a project I'm doing for my boat.

Keeping it short, I'm making something to ease winterizing the engine in my boat (GM 454ci).

Questions:

#1) When the thermostate opens to cool down the engine, does it COMPLETELY stay open until it cools to a certain temperature? -or-Does it open up for a few seconds, then close for a few seconds, (kinda like cycling open and close) until the engine is cooled enough to stay closed?

#2) Can the thermostate only open partially to let just a small amount of coolant into the block or can it only open completely or shut completely (no inbetween).

Sorry, again, for getting off topic, but this seemed like the best place to get a straight answer. Thanks in advance...

The thermostate on normal engines (and I presume on a boat) opens more the hotter it is. A 195 degree thermostate will be compltetly open at 200 degrees, and compelte closed at 160, and in between some thing inbetween. SO your second choice is correct: The thermostate opens as much as needed.

Well I got to check out the new trailer tow mirrors today. There is a truck distributor appr 10 miles away, and DC is putting the mirrors on chassis cabs.Here is the scoop: The mirrors do not adjust in/out like brand "F" does, they are fixed. They are black, 7" x 10". They do fold in, if necessary. They are NOT electrically adjustable, they are manual. With that, I am assuming they are not heated. You can pivot the mirror, into either a vertical, or horizontal position. The one neat thing about them I had not seen mentioned anywhere, is both mirrors have small (appr 2 1/2" x 2 1/2") convex mirrors built in. Since the mirrors are standard on the chassis cab, there was no option number, or brice, on the build sheet.I wonder when DC will make these mirrors available on the regular pickup trucks? Can't be soon enough.

I understand the transmission to be a four-speed, but watching the tachometer (and the road) while accelerating, it appears to shift four times, giving the allusion of five gears. I've read some comments about a "torque converter" on these boards. Is that the cause of the final drop in RPM?

Along the same lines, turning off overdrive creates two significant adjustments in RPM. Is the first the torque converter dropping out, and the second the gear shift from 4th to 3rd?

Also, is it normal for the truck to feel bogged down while climbing a 2/10 mile 10-15% grade? I'm not talking about a mountain, just a gentle hill. Pressing the accelerator doesn't seem to do anything. I have to take off overdrive to get it to drop down a gear, just to keep my speed consistent.

I'm coming from a 1997 Dodge Dakota SLT+ Club Cab 4x2, with 5.2L and Auto Trans, and never experienced sluggishness like this. Is it normal for the Ram, or should I be expecting better performance from my new truck's setup?

The extra shift you see and feel is the Lock-up Torque Converter, when you let the Tranny shift down on a hill by itself, your RPM's will acutually be higher than if you to manually shift out Overdrive, due to the Torque Converter. My 1998 Quad Cab 5.9 4x4 w/3.55's did the same Gear dance, that is one of the reasons I traded it for a Y2K Ram Cummins 4x4 5spd. w/3.55's, this truck climbs hills like a rocket, no shifting involved.Don't forget that truck of yours weighs 5500+ lbs.that is alot of gear to move down the road.

Yes the 4th shift is the converter locking-up. Your truck has low miles, our 95 didn't loosen up until after 10,000 miles, and this may be the bogging problem. I assume you have the 5.9 gas. What helped ours was a Jacobs Omni-Pak with the Jacobs wiring. This made a good 2 mpg difference, and a completely different animal when towing. This should come in at about $300.

I have a similar experience to davids1. Y2K Ram 4x4 QC SLT 5.9L Gas Auto but the 3.55.

On my hills with cruise set at 60 the trans kicks down out of OD what sounds like 2 gears then immediately back up what sounds like one gear and holds that gear and 60MPH without going back up to OD.

Here's my problem/question. I've got 2700 miles on the truck. Until this morning, it climed those hills just fine. This morning it climed fine but I noticed that the engine started doing a light pinging when the revs went up with the downshift. Same tank of gas as the last three days without pinging.

Am I starting to hear a problem or is this amount of spark knock normal after break-in?

The Onmi-Pak is a high-output coil with a computer controller builtin, that bypasses the OE coil, that actually measures the resistance at each plug before sending a spark, or multiable sparks to the individual plugs. The wiring is the secondary wiring for the plugs and is lifetime wires with Sprial core, even if you pull them apart. This seemed hokey, but after I tried it, I was impressed.

If I were to go for installing the Jacobs Omni-Pak, would it void my Chrysler warranty? I've always stayed away from doing any kind of mods to my vehicle that would mess with warranty validity. After the warranty has run out though, I'm open to other options.

No, this is a system within the Dodge system, and seperate from the Dodge system. The timing, fuel, emissions, are still controlled by the On Board Computer. It was easy to restore to stock by pulling 1 fuse, changing the coil wire from the Jacobs to the stock coil, plugging the stock coil back in, (primary wires), and unplugging the Jacobs (2 wires). I only did this once, and it really ran crappy, this is really how to tell the difference.

Found this list when looking at pricing before picking up my Y2K 2500 QC 4x4 SB Auto 3.54's.I have just under 1000 miles. I flat towed one of my other vehicles for 250 miles, it didn't even know it was there. About 3000# in tow. Absolutely love the truck. It rides very nice, and am pleased with the overall quality of the truck.

I am thinking of buying a 2000 ram quad cab 2500 4x4 cummins diesel. I want to know if anyone out there knows about the brakes on these trucks. I was told they have poor brakes, only lasting about 10,000 miles for a set of pads. Is this true?

I am thinking of buying a 2000 ram quad cab 2500 4x4 cummins diesel. I want to know if anyone out there knows about the brakes on these trucks. I was told they have poor brakes, only lasting about 10,000 miles for a set of pads. Is this true?

I went to my friendly neighborhood Dodge dealer in Melbourne FL. today to order a 2000, 2500 QC 4x4 longbed sport and trade my Chevy. All was going well and got just about what I wanted for my trade had them start crunching the numbers. When I returned to finish the deal he said there was a couple issues about ordering the truck. He said that if he went ahead and ordered the truck, he wasn't sure if it would be a 2000 or 2001, and he had no pricing information for the 2001. As a result, he couldn't give me any definite numbers on the cost and what my payments would be since he couldn't know for sure which model year I would receive.Now I know what the cost should be for the 2000 and am willing to pay this, but the dealer doesn't even want to place my order because I told him if the increase in price was too much(which neither of us knows what that increase will be)it might kill the deal. I was ready to sign the dotted line and they basically told me that we would have to wait till the 2001's arrived.(How long could this be?)Does this sound rediculous to anyone else? The reason I'm mostly upset is this dealer is giving me the most for my trade thus far. Any suggestions on what to do and any info on the 2001's, and possible price increases?Thanx - Shane

All4rocks, I have not heard of any problems like that with brakes, I do not have 10,000 on my Y2K ram Cummins Sport yet, everyone I know with Rams does not have that problem, mostly problems with the old Getrag 5 spd tranny (to small).Shane, Is it really that hard to get 2500 & 3500 Rams in other parts of the country? My Sport was on the lot with two other Diesels when I bought it, the next town over had a Y2K 3500 QC 4x4 Cummins, 6 spd, for a short while on the lot (2 weeks) $39,000.

2.) He doesn't know how much your trade will be worth at that time, assuming you plan to keep driving it.

It's better to have him be honest with you that way, rather than for him to accept a big deposit that deters you from further shopping, and then misleads you into thinking you had a firm deal when he asks for more, just as the new one arrives. (It can happen.)

I understand that delivery time is way up in the air, but I did explain to him we ( my fiance') were planning on trading my chevy today, and we would go on one vehicle for a couple of months.(til the new truck came in) Now I know thats a little risky, but in order to get what I want for the trade, its ok with me. Is it that he can't take my trade now or he just doesn't want to. He can sell it tomorrow for all I care. I think not knowing when the new one will come in is part of the process.

It just doesn't seem realistic to me, that the dealer could take your trade early. Not saying it hasn't been done, but it seems complicated and risky for him, and problematic for you if he can't supply you the new truck you want.

Why not just put a deposit down, order the truck you want, and either make the trade when the new one comes in, or get rid of it in a private sale before that time?

I do see your point, if he takes my trade and something does happen to blow the deal on the new truck and all he got out of it was my trade. But you could argue he is going to make money on the trade too, at least thats his intent.Well I sent out a letter to the owner explaining the dilemma and I got a phone call today from the salesman saying he was gonna go ahead and order the truck, no deposit either. Don't know if this is a result of the letter or their desire to make a sale. Thats the good part, but my vehicle is still in my drive I'm affraid I won't get what I need for the trade come deal time if I can't sell it on my own. I guess we'll see!

It sounds to me like your dealer is trying to be very fair, and win your business. That won't stop him from trying to make a buck off you, and every other customer, so don't count the profit motive against him. Just be aware of it, and negotiate to your best advantage. Make it easier for him to sell you a car, and you will get a better deal.

If he is willing to order your truck with no deposit, he sees no risk if your deal falls through. That's good.

Expect surprises. The deal is not final until you sign a buyers contract with a VIN number on it. Keep in mind that until then, anything you and he agreed to previously can change without notice. Usually it doesn't happen this way, but you are under no obligation to buy if he does.

By all means, advertise your trade in the paper and try to make a sale to a private party. Almost any offer you can accept is better than what a dealer will offer you in trade. And since your new vehicle is going to take a few weeks, you have the time so get started.

The less complicated you make it, the better your chance. Do these things:

1.) Get yourself pre-qualified for financing at your bank or credit union.2.) Get your trade sold beforehand.3.) Find out if there are incentives, rebates, financing, cash back etc.4.) Set a target price for the new truck.5.) Be realistic, and prepared for a little give and take.6.) Listen to offers on financing. If the dealer financing is 3.9%, and your credit union is 8.9%, there is probably some factory cash that you have to sign over to him to get the low interest rate. Often, it's better to apply the factory cash against your down payment instead, and pay the higher bank interest rate.7.) The deal isn't over just because you shook on it. Your salesman now sends you to the finance guru's office, where they try to get you to buy extended warrantys, undercoating, paint sealants, fabric protection, etc. Listen carefully, be polite, and then decline them all. Pure profit to a dealer.

The art of a deal: Remember, the dealer does this for a living. He is prepared for you, and doesn't make mistakes. There is a reason why there is NEVER a calculator to be found, for your use, on the desk of the salesman. You have to know your numbers, and see through the smoke screen. Good Luck!

Just called the 800 number and my truck is still BX status. No dealer allocation is available. It was ordered 9/14. Two or three weeks ago the salesmanager assured me he had contacted the regional sales office in KC to get me taken care of. But I've had holds for a variety of reasons including paint and now I'm back to no dealer allocation. While in hold the gal I talked to on the 800 number tried to get hold of the salesmanager but got the business manager who told her he would speak to the salesmanager for me. ..... On another topic. A Chevy dealer I have dealt with in the past did take trade-ins at time of order so he could be assured of its value. ...... Another issue on my deal. The back of the contract says the dealership has the right to reappraise my tradin at delivery. Since I'm sure they knew they had no allocation for me when they took my deal I'm concerned they may want to renegotiate my price IF my truck ever arrives. Yet they must have known my truck would not arrive when they promised. .... Rich

Has anyone heard anything else on the 2001`s coming out in January. I have a 2000 2500 quad V10 on order and am hoping for a rebate on the 2000`s. Rebates change Monday(12/13). I do have the on the job incentive($300)I live in Oklahoma and the Okla. dealers don`t honor the Chrysler ext.warrenty. Also the Okla. dealers don`t honor the Farm Bureau incentive. If I would have known this I would have bought the truck in Kansas.

By the way, I have had good experience with ordering the truck. It was ordered on 10/23 and was shipped on 10/6 and the dealer is suppose to have it the week of 12/13.

The shipped date should have been 12/6. Also,I negotiated the trade-in(Ford) when I ordered the Dodge on 10/23. The dealer said if I kept the Ford under a certian milage they would hold the trade-in price until the 2000 dodge arrived. Unless the dealer tries to pull a fast one of some kind, this has been a good truck buying experience for me.

This was the first time I used the internet exclusively to buy the dodge. I found that most all the dealers have web sights. So I sent out emails telling them the options I wanted and asking them for quotes. I also did the same thing on the Ford I was going to trade. I played the dealers against one another and got an excellent deal. I did find that the 5 star dealers could give the best deal. I also found out that dealing this way with the dealers gave me a better deal that going though a buying service. I drove to the dealer to confirmed the deal and negotiated few hundred more dollars off the deal before I ordered the 2000 Ram. Like I said before, unless the dealer tries to pull a fast one this has been a good experience and the way I will buy autos from now on.